Virgin Hotels to open in Chicago
Virgin will open its first hotel in Chicago in the fall of 2014. The 250-room hotel will feature contemporary style and great functionality.
After planes, trains and spaceships, Sir Richard Branson has revealed new details on his latest travel-related venture:Ā Virgin Hotels.
According to a newĀ infographicĀ released from Virgin,Ā the inaugural Virgin Hotel is slated to open in Chicagoās central business district, The Loop, and feature 210 rooms, 38 suites, and 2 āRock Starā rooms.
In line with the brand’s overall branding strategy, Virgin Hotels will target a creative, high-income audience by pitching a āsophisticated hotel experience.ā
Other specs for the hotel include a rooftop lounge, the Boheme, two restaurants, a coffee and wine bar; gym, yoga and relaxation center; business area, theater and dance floor.
The hotel takes over the 27-storey landmark Old Dearborn Bank Building and is expected to open in September.
Virgin said that the Art Deco building, designed in 1928, “has significant historic and architectural features that will be restored and recreated.”
TheĀ Virgin Hotels brandĀ is expected to offer accommodation competing with upscale lifestyle or luxury chains such as W Hotels,Ā AndazĀ orĀ HotelĀ Indigo.
Branson has also expressed interest inĀ moving his Virgin brand into the cruise industry, telling German business daily Handelsblatt that heās already in negotiations with shipyards in Italy and Germany.